Slave Of Her Heart
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: Haruka Tenoh, King of Uranus, conquered planet Neptune. When she takes the Neptunian princess Michiru Kaioh as her personal slave, she learns about the meaning of love...FINISHED!! ^^v
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: The following story takes place in an alternate universe. There are kingdoms on Uranus and Neptune, but the Moon Kingdom doesn't exist. That means, no Senshi, no Serenity. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka or Michiru, but I own the plot.

Dedication: I dedicate this story to Neptune. You know who you are ^^

„Ladies and Gentlemen, bow to the King!" the announcer spoke into his microphone, and everyone in the huge ballroom did as requested when Haruka Tenoh, King of Uranus, entered. The tall blonde man walked over to the throne that stood at the northern wall of the ballroom and sat down. The bowing people straightened up again, and Haruka raised his hand to drawn everyone's attention at him. "I'm glad so many people followed my invitation to celebrate the winning of our war against planet Neptune." The king started his speech. "As a special event, you will be shown the Neptunians we captured as slaves for us." Everyone clapped and cheered, and the king smiled. "But this will take place at midnight. Until then, enjoy our ball." He ended his speech, and after a wink of his hand, the music began and the people started to dance. King Haruka leaned back in his chair and stifled a yawn; he hated balls. Or, better said, _she hated balls. Of course, no one knew about the king being female. Haruka had been the only child of her parents, and her father, Alastair Tenoh III, had raised her as a boy. She ruled her planet with a strong, but understanding hand, and her folk loved her. Especially since she won the war against planet Neptune, which had been going on for five years until Haruka managed to conquer the capital city of it with a great tactic strike. The blonde grinned when she thought about the slaves her army had conquered; she would take one of them as her personal servant, and God Uranus should help the poor girl if she tried to escape or disobeyed her orders. The other slaves of Kingdom Uranus feared the king, since she had a very short temper, and her whip always at hand. Haruka checked her watch and grinned; midnight was not far away._

Finally, it was time to present the slaves. The huge doors of the ballroom opened, and a group of twenty guards led in a long row of people, whose wrists and ankles were chained together. They all walked with their heads down, some of them wounded, some of them obviously sick. "See the slaves from Neptune!" the announcer yelled, and everyone cheered and clapped. Some people yelled "Boo" at the slaves, and one of them even spit at a man who passed him. Harukas eyes wandered over the slaves when they came to a stop in front of her, and her gaze fell upon a young girl with aqua-colored hair. "Who's that?" she whispered to her premier minister, and he answered: "Michiru Kaioh, the princess of Neptune, Your Highness." Harukas bushy blonde eyebrows went up, and she smirked. "I want her for me." She then stated, and the minister grinned broadly. "I knew that you would choose her, Your Highness." He then said. Haruka gave him an odd look. "You know me too well, Ryo." The man laughed at his King and nodded. "I'll have her sent to your rooms after the ball, Your Highness." He then said. Haruka just nodded and kept looking at the aqua haired woman until the slave looked up, her soft blue eyes meeting Harukas hard teal ones. For a few seconds, the two of them just kept looking into each others eyes, until Michiru lowered her gaze again and stared down at the floor. Haruka smirked; no one was able to stand up against her long when it came to staring into each others eyes. 

Finally, the ball was over. Haruka said her goodbyes to the last leaving guests and then returned to her rooms, which spread over one floor of the huge palace. Ryo had made his promise true; Michiru was already waiting in the main room, sitting on the huge couch and fiddling with the edge of her skirt. Haruka entered the room, hung her coat over the next chair and commanded in a harsh tone: "Get up!" Michiru quickly came to her feet, and she flinched when Harukas hand closed around her chin and raised her head until she looked up at her. "Tell me your name." Haruka commanded, her husky, deep voice sending chills up and down Michirus spine. "Michiru Kaioh." She informed the king. Only to be rewarded with a hard slap. Michiru stepped back, shocked, and looked at Haruka fearful. "Michiru Kaioh what?" the blonde now asked, sounding really angry. For one second, Michiru didn't know what the king meant, and terrible fear raised inside her. Then realization struck her. "Michiru Kaioh, Your Highness." She quickly spoke. "Good. I see, you're a fast learner." Haruka replied, the anger fading out of her voice. Checking her watch, the king frowned. "It's too late to tell you about all the rules and duties you have. We'll do that tomorrow. Go to sleep, you can have the couch." "Thank you, Your Highness." Michiru replied politely, although she already started to hate the king who had enslaved her. Haruka didn't bother to give her an answer; she just left the room, leaving Michiru behind with sheer hate against the man who had conquered her kingdom.


	2. Default Chapter

The next morning, Haruka awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and roasted bacon. Frowning, the blonde climbed out of her bed; it was unusual that her breakfast was ready before she awoke. The king quickly put on her black morning robe and walked out of her bedroom – only to bump into Michiru, who had just wanted to check on her new master. Quickly, the aqua haired woman bowed her head and spoke: "I'm sorry, Your Highness!" Haruka just grumbled before she asked: "Did you make breakfast?" "Yes, Your Highness." Michiru replied. "Your minister came in and told me to." Haruka rolled her eyes; she hated it when Ryo did that. "Good. Go and prepare a bath for me." Michiru nodded. "Yes, Your Highness." She quickly walked away, over to the bathroom, while Haruka went into the dining room where breakfast was waiting. The king took a seat at the big mahogany table and looked at the fried egg, the bacon and the can of coffee with astonishment. _"I never had a slave who could cook well before. Now that's something new." The blonde thought to herself before she started to eat. Much to her surprise, the breakfast was cooked better than any one of her palace cooks would have been able to. Haruka quickly finished her breakfast, left the emptied plates and cup were they where – after all, she was the king, and she didn't have to do the dishes – and walked over into the bathroom. _

The bathtub, big enough for three people, was filled with hot, steaming water. Michiru was sitting on the edge of the tub, staring off into the distance. "Hey." Harukas voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she quickly stood up. "Your bath is ready and waiting for you, Your Highness." "I see that." Haruka replied, in a not-so-friendly tone. "I prefer taking my baths alone. Go and do the dishes, and I will tell you when I need you again." "Yes, Your Highness." Michiru quickly hurried out of the bathroom, leaving Haruka behind alone. Careful, the king dipped one finger into the water, found that it had just the right temperature, threw her morning robe to the floor carelessly and slipped in. Living a very stressful live of a king, the only occasions for relax were Harukas long, hot baths, and she always enjoyed them as long as possible. This time, however, her peace was disturbed when she suddenly heard Michiru scream in the kitchen.

The blonde literally jumped out of the tub, cursing while she did so, and quickly put on her robe. She hurried over into the kitchen, only to find Michiru with her back on the desk, held down by one of the palace guards. A second one was leaning over her, trying to undo her skirt. The men had already succeeded in tearing the blouse Michiru had worn off; the poor girl was topless. From her position on the desk, Michiru couldn't see that Haruka entered the room, but relief exploded in her heart when she heard the king's voice: "Stop that, right NOW!" the two guards flinched and quickly let go of Michiru, straightening up. "Sir, yes Sir! Your Highness!" they yelled, salutating. Haruka glared at them. "What was that about, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked, anger shining through her voice. "Well…we thought that you don't mind if we…well…usually you don't…" the taller of the two men stammered. "Stop stuttering!" Haruka barked, and the man fell silent immediately. "I don't care if you have your fun with the other slaves, but she is my _personal one, and if somebody touches her, it's me! Do you get that?" The two guards nodded, and Haruka pointed to the door. "Get out of here. NOW!" The two men quickly ran out of the room, and Haruka turned to look at Michiru. The aqua haired girl was sitting on the desk, desperately trying to cover her breasts, her whole body shaking. Haruka felt sympathy for the frightened slave rise inside her, and she tried to sound gentle when she spoke: "Call the clothes chamber and tell them to get you some new clothes. You need a wardrobe anyway, after all you can't wear the same set of clothes every day." Michiru gave her a thankful look. "Thank you, Your Highness." Haruka just nodded and turned to leave when she remembered something. "Oh, and….the breakfast was great." Michiru blushed and smiled. Haruka returned the smile without even realizing it and left the room. _

One hour later, Haruka was sitting at her desk, going through some official letters she had received from the various earls and dukes on her planet. A soft knock on the door made her look up. "Yes please?" she called out. The door opened, and Michiru shyly entered. "Sorry for interrupting your work, Your Highness." She apologized, "but I need your help…" Harukas bushy eyebrows went up, and she asked: "My help? With what?" "The woman who works in the cloth chamber…she won't give any clothes to me." Michiru pouted, looking adorably cute. Haruka couldn't help but chuckle at her slaves expression. "Let me handle that, Michiru." She then answered, reaching out for her phone. Before she could pick the receiver up, the phone rang with a loud, shrill noise that made Michiru jump. Haruka frowned and answered the phone: "Yes?" "Come fast", a man panted into the receiver. "Down here in the dungeon, the slaves revolt!"


	3. Default Chapter

Haruka cursed and slammed the receiver down. She jumped up and grabbed her cloak, throwing it over her shoulders. "You wait here." She ordered, giving Michiru a Don't-even-think-about-disobeying-me look. Michiru just nodded, and Haruka stormed off. 

When she reached the palace's dungeons, the guards were busy with keeping the revolting slaves down. The dungeon was filled with screaming and cursing, but it all stopped when Haruka yelled: "SILENCE!" The slaves stopped fighting the guards and looked at the king fearfully. "What's going on here?" Haruka barked, causing her guards to stand straight and salutate. Glaring at everyone, Haruka slowly walked over to one of the slaves, a young girl about seven. "Seems like I have to make sure you never try to revolt again." She spoke, fire in her eyes. The girl Haruka stared at started to shiver and looked up at the blonde, tears forming in her eyes. Haruka gave her a cruel smile and said: "Execute her." 

One of the guards started to move towards the now crying girl when suddenly a female voice screamed at the entrance door of the dungeon: "No! Please, don't!" Haruka turned around, her anger turned into sheer rage when she saw who stood there. "Please." Michiru repeated, looking at the king with desperate eyes. "Please, don't kill her…if you have to kill someone, kill me, but not Hotaru!" Haruka walked over to Michiru, leaving her guards uncertain of what to do now about the little girl. "Get out. Now." She ordered, staring at her slave with anger. "We'll talk about this…incident…later." Michiru, on the other hand, refused to obey her master. "Please don't kill her, Your Highness." She whispered, so only Haruka heard it. "She's my adopted daughter…please, let her live. I'll do anything you want me to, if you don't execute her." "Anything?" Haruka asked, in a rather threatening tone. "Yes, Your Highness." Michiru replied, looking down at her feet. Haruka turned around to the guards and spoke: "Good, let her live." Focusing her attention on the slaves, she barked: "And let this be a lesson to all of you! If you try to revolt again, she will die." Turning back to Michiru, the king grabbed the aqua haired woman's wrist. "Come with me, now." She ordered. Michiru nodded, and the two of them left the dungeon.

Back in her rooms, Haruka gave Michiru a look that scared the hell out of her. "I'm afraid I have to punish you now, Michiru. You disobeyed my orders, and I can't allow that." Michiru looked down on the floor and answered: "I understand that, Your Highness." _That took Haruka completely aback. She'd expected Michiru to beg and plead, not to understand. She frowned and spoke: "You do? Great. Follow me, then." The king lead her slave into a small room at the far end of the palace; the walls were covered in isolation material to make them soundproof. In the middle of it, a metal ring hung from the ceiling, with a rough rope attached to it. "Step under the ring." Haruka commanded. Michiru saw the whip that hung on the wall next to the door, and fear rose inside her, but she did as commanded. Haruka grabbed her hands and securely tied them to the ring, forcing the aqua haired woman to stand with her arms high above her head. The king calmly walked over to the whip and took it from it's hook before she tore Michirus shirt open on the back, exposing the bare skin. When Michiru heard the ripping of her clothes, she couldn't take it anymore and started to cry. "Please…" the aqua haired girl whimpered, fear shining through her voice. "Please don't hurt me…I'm sorry…please…" Haruka raised her arm to hit the whip at Michirus back, but something kept her from doing it. Maybe it was Michirus voice, or the tears that streamed down her face. Michiru stood with her eyes squeezed shut, awaiting the pain, but to her surprise it never came. Not daring to turn around, Michiru thought that this was some cruel psycho game the king played with her. But then, she heard Harukas footsteps move away from her, and she hoped and prayed that the king put the whip back on the hook. One minute later, she felt gentle fingers undo the rope that held her hands, and as soon as that was done, Harukas voice came: "Look at me." Surprised of the gentleness in her master's voice, Michiru slowly turned around until she faced the king. Her surprise got even bigger when the blonde reached out and gently wiped her tears away. Haruka pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Michiru. "Here, blow your nose." "Thanks." Michiru replied softly, completely forgetting about the "Your Highness". Obviously Haruka had forgotten about it too, since she didn't slap or scold her slave. "Come on." The king now said. "Let's get you some clothes. Now that I have torn the last blouse you had…" The blonde trailed off when Michirus blouse slid downward, allowing Haruka to have a good look at her slaves upper body. Michiru blushed furiously, but she didn't dare to cover herself, in fear of being hit. Finally Haruka managed to tear her eyes away from the delightful sight, and she stared up at the ceiling. Slowly, the blonde removed her cloak and handed it to her slave. "Here, cover yourself." She ordered, red color slowly creeping to her cheeks. "Thank you, Your Highness." Michiru answered softly, wrapping herself in the piece of clothing. "You're welcome." Haruka mumbled, wondering why Michiru made her blush. She __never blushed at the sight of naked women. "Never-ever." Haruka murmured, earning an odd look from Michiru. Finally the blonde snapped out of her trance and looked at her slave again. "Come on now, let's head down into the clothes chamber." Michiru nodded, and the two of them left the small room, getting on their way to the clothes chamber.  _


	4. Default Chapter

Soon, Michiru found herself in the huge clothes chamber, the king standing beside her and talking to the woman who was responsible for it. "See, she's my personal slave." Haruka now explained. "I can't let her wander around in the same set of clothes every single day." The woman just sighed and nodded. "If you wish that your…slave…wears the expensive shirts and skirts we have here, go on, Your Highness." She finally gave in. Haruka nodded and turned to look at Michiru: "Here we go. Choose whatever you want." "Thank you, Your Highness." Michiru replied, bowing to her master. While she rummaged through the heaps of clothes, she realized that she didn't hate Haruka anymore. _"He could've whipped my back to mash, but he didn't." the aqua haired woman thought to herself. __"Why? Just because I cried? I heard stories about him before I came here, he's said to be really cruel to his slaves. So…why?" Suddenly, a terrible thought struck Michiru, and she stiffened. __"What if he didn't do it because he wants me…in his bed tonight? Oh God!" Little did Michiru know that Haruka never slept with her slaves. After all, everyone believed her to be male, and the king didn't want to take the risk of being discovered. "Are you ready?" her husky voice interrupting her thoughts, Michiru twirled around. "What…? Oh, yes, Your Highness." "Good. Let's get back to the rooms, I have some…chores for you." The way Haruka emphasized the word "chores" send cold shivers up and down Michirus spine. __"Oh dear God Neptune, he wants me to…" Before she could finish her thought, Haruka had turned around and was heading out of the clothes chamber with long steps. Michiru quickly followed her, carrying a huge pile of clothes. _

"You can put your clothes…there." Haruka explained while she pointed to an empty cupboard in the room that had been prepared for Michiru. It was rather small, and surely no suite. The only furniture were a desk with two chairs next to it, an old, but comfy looking bed and the lamp that hung from the ceiling. Michiru had to notice, much to her fear, that Harukas bedroom was right next door. The blonde stood watching how her slave put her clothes into the cupboard and thought about the guards who had tried to rape her before. Soon, the king made an important decision to protect her slave of them, and she spoke: "You'll spend the night in my room. See you there at…eight o'clock. And don't be late." "Y-yes, Your Highness." Michiru stammered, fear rising inside her. Haruka nodded and left while Michiru sat down on the bed and prayed to the God of Neptune. She prayed that Haruka wouldn't hurt or rape her tonight.

At eight o'clock, Michiru shyly knocked the door to Harukas bedroom, only to be rewarded with a tired sounding "Come in." Michiru entered the room, nervously clinging to the long nightgown she wore, and found the king lying on the huge bed, wearing a pair of dark blue pajamas. Haruka had one arm over her eyes; it was obvious that she was tired out of the hard day. "What…" Michirus voice broke, and she had to start again, "what do you want me to do, Your Highness?" Haruka let her arm fall away from her eyes and looked at her slave, surprised. "Want you to do? Nothing." She replied. "But…" Michiru was confused. "Why would you want me here tonight, if you didn't want to…?" "Didn't want to what?" Haruka snapped back, sounding slightly angry. "You think I just made you come here to rape you?" Michiru looked down on the floor, ashamed, red color creeping into her cheeks. "I'm…I'm sorry…but…you see…" "Don't stutter!" Haruka barked, and Michiru flinched at the harshness of her voice. Haruka sighed and closed her eyes. "Come here." She then ordered. _"Here we go." Michiru bitterly thought to herself. __"Now he'll make me sleep with him." Slowly, she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, as far away from Haruka as she could. Haruka sighed again and placed a gentle hand on her slaves shoulder, feeling her stiffen at the touch. "Hey." The blonde softly spoke. "I would never touch you against your will." Surprised, Michiru turned to look at her master, and Haruka talked on. "I just want you to sleep here tonight to protect you from the guards who attacked you today." "Oh." Michiru answered, dumbfounded. "Well…thank you, Your Highness." Haruka nodded, only to surprise Michiru again afterwards: "And when we are in private, like now, you don't have to call me Your Highness. Haruka is enough." Michirus eyes bulged out, causing Haruka to chuckle. "Now now, don't look at me as if I threatened to eat you." Michiru managed a weak smile and cleared her throat, signaling Haruka that she wanted to ask or tell her something. The blonde gave her slave a questioning look. "Anything you need…?" "Well", Michiru started, "you see…everyone says that you are cruel and hard to your slaves, but…" "But?" Haruka asked, raising a bushy eyebrow. "You aren't." Michiru softly spoke. "At least not towards me. Instead, you're…almost…kind, I think." Harukas second eyebrow joined the first one in it's high position, causing Michiru to giggle. "Now, what's so funny?" Haruka growled, and Michiru shook her head. "Nothing, Your High…um…Haruka." Haruka smiled and patted Michirus shoulder. "Never mind. Sometimes I can be a little…bad tempered." She sighed and gave Michiru a surprisingly warm look. "Do you want to see your daughter tomorrow?" Michiru had to swallow hard a few times before she could answer. "That…that would be too kind of you, Haruka." "So shall it be." Haruka spoke, acting __very melodramatically. "You will be allowed to encounter your offspring…", she paused, "uhm…your adopted offspring tomorrow." Michiru giggled again and shook her head at her master's weird actions. After a few seconds of frowning, Haruka joined Michirus laughter. That was when the last bit of hate against the king vanished from Michirus soul. _


	5. Default Chapter

One hour later, Haruka had fallen asleep. Michiru laid next to her, under the warm blanket, and thought about various things. _"He said he would never touch me against my will." The aqua haired girl mused. __"Does that mean he would touch me if I'd want him to?" Turning over, the Michiru had time to study the sleeping kings face. __"He looks so young when he's asleep." Michiru thought to herself. She realized that she knew nothing about the king. __"I wonder how old he is." The slave mused. __"He can't be much older than me…should I ask him? Nah, better not…" Right in that moment, Haruka grumbled in her sleep and turned around, dropping one arm over the surprised Michiru. First, the aqua haired girl thought about moving away from the king, but then she felt a weird feeling coming up inside her. She felt protected in Harukas embrace, Michiru realized. Slowly, since she didn't want to wake the king, she moved closer to the blonde and snuggled up. That was when she felt something on Harukas chest that definitely didn't belong to the body of a man. Michirus eyes went wide when realization struck her again. __"Ohmigosh! The king is…female__?!" Now everything was clear to the aqua haired woman. Why the king wanted to bath alone…and why she said that she wouldn't rape her. And still…the feeling of being protected didn't fade away at the discovery Michiru had made. She laid awake for another half an hour, and then sleep came._

When Haruka awoke the next morning, Michiru laid in her arms – much to her surprise. The aqua haired woman's head rested on Harukas shoulder, and her left leg laid over the kings. Haruka, who had never been a morning person, decided to not to wake her slave yet, but closed her eyes again. That was when Michiru awoke, too, and looked up at the blonde king. "Morning." Haruka mumbled, sounding tired. "Good morning, Haruka." Michiru replied, smiling. She wriggled herself out of Harukas arms and climbed out of the bed. "Shall I ready your breakfast?" she then asked, and Haruka nodded. "Yes, do that. I'll be right back." With that, Haruka also climbed out of the bed, shooed Michiru out of the room and dressed herself. While Michiru rummaged around in the kitchen and made breakfast, Haruka hurried down into the dungeons, her long cloak flowing behind her. The slaves looked up surprised when the king entered and walked over to the cell were Hotaru was kept, together with an elderly man whose name wasn't known. "Hotaru?" Haruka spoke, causing the little girl to look up at her with huge, fearful eyes. Seeing that, Haruka felt a pang of pain into her heart; she never had meant to scare the little girl. Thinking about the fact that she had to look huge to a girl of seven years, she went down on her right knee, bringing herself to eyelevel with little Hotaru. "Your mom wants to see you." The king softly spoke. Hotarus eyes went wide, and she squealed with joy. Haruka smiled, straightened up again and unlocked the door of Hotarus cell. The little girl came jumping out, and much to Harukas surprise, she hugged the kings legs. "Thank you for letting me see my mom!" Haruka smiled, causing the other slaves to gasp, and offered her hand to Hotaru. "Let's go then, shall we?" Hotaru nodded, grasping the kings huge hand with her small one, and they left the dungeon. 

Michiru was whistling a happy tune while she prepared Harukas breakfast; she just had remembered the kings promise that she would be allowed to meet her daughter tonight, and now she was wondering when Haruka would take her down into the dungeon. That was when the door opened, and Haruka came walking in. "Hey Michiru." She greeted. "Hello, Your Highness." Michiru replied. Haruka sighed and rolled her eyes. "What did I tell you yesterday? No one is here except me and you. Call me Haruka." Michiru smiled and nodded. "Alright, Haruka." "Oh, and by the way…" Haruka suddenly grinned, a mischief glint in her eyes, "there's someone who wants to see you, Michiru." The king turned to the door and called out: "Come in!" The door flew open, and Hotaru burst in, running directly over to Michiru, who stared at her daughter in surprise. "Hotaru!" she called out while going down on her knees. Hotaru flung herself into her mother's arms, and Michiru hugged her. Looking over Hotarus shoulder, she gave Haruka a thankful look, tears shimmering in her eyes. She mouthed a silent "Thank you", causing Haruka to clear her throat and discover something very interesting at the ceiling. "Ummm…I have some…official work to do. Yeah, official work." Haruka mumbled and quickly hurried out of the room, leaving mother and daughter alone. Outside, she leaned against the door, her heart racing. _"Why is it so important for me that Michiru is happy?" she thought to herself. __"She's my slave, goddammit, and not my…my girlfriend or something! I never __cared about my slaves before, so why am I caring about her now? Oh, God Uranus, help me…" Sighing, Haruka started to walk away, over into her office. She shouldn't be able to concentrate on her work the whole morning, since Michiru wouldn't leave her mind for one second. _


	6. Default Chapter

Haruka was working on another official letter, sent by the Queen of Pluto, when suddenly the door to her office burst open and Hotaru came running in. "Hotaru, no!" Haruka heard Michiru yelp on the hallway. "Don't disturb the king!" "Too late." Haruka answered while Hotaru stopped dead in her tracks, just realizing in which room she burst. "I'm sowwy!" she then said, sounding adorably like a three-year-old. Haruka was taken aback by the girls cuteness, and she smiled. "Nevermind. Hey, you want to see something interesting?" Michiru came running into the room and swept Hotaru up in her arms before the girl could answer. The slave gave her master an apologizing look. "I'm sorry if she disturbed you, Your Highness." Haruka gave the aqua haired woman a slight smile and replied: "Never mind. She didn't disturb me at all." "I wanna see something!" Hotaru squealed, trying to wriggle out of her mothers arms. "Mommy! Haruka promised to show me something!" Michiru gasped when she saw dark clouds appear on her masters brow at the disrespectful salutation of the little girl, but luckily Haruka managed to keep her temper down. "You have to call her Your Highness." Michiru advised her daughter while she let her down again. Suddenly, Harukas eyes bulged out. _"You have to call her __Your Highness?!" the blonde thought to herself. __"Oh dear Uranus, does she know?" Quickly, the king decided to ask Michiru about it as soon as they were alone; Hotaru was obviously a chatty little girl, and she didn't want her to know her gender yet. "Oh!" Hotaru now gasped before she looked at Haruka. "Your Highness, your promised to show me something!" Haruka chuckled the little girl and shook her head while she walked over to the huge cupboard that stood at the northern wall of her office. Opening it, the blonde pulled a rather old, but well preserved doll, showing it to Hotaru. The girls eyes lit up with joy, and she squealed: "A dolly!" Haruka smiled at her and went down on one knee, so they were on eye-level. "You want it? My mom gave it to me when I was little, but I never used it." "Oh, yes please!" Hotaru jumped with joy, and suddenly the girl flung herself into the stunned king's arms. "Thank you so very much, Your Kingness!" Haruka laughed at the last word that left Hotarus mouth, and Michiru quickly covered her mouth with one hand to hide the smile that crept on her face. Haruka look up to her slave, and their eyes met. For a few seconds, they just stood there, staring into each others eyes, until Hotaru interrupted the moment by clinging to the doll. "Give me, give me!" she begged, and Haruka let go of it. "Hey, there's an empty room where you have enough space to play, wanna go there?" she then asked, and Hotaru nodded. Haruka quickly showed the room to her, but before Michiru could follow her daughter, the blonde had blocked the door with her body. Michiru gave her master a fearful look, and Haruka snarled: "You have to call _her_ Your Highness? Care to explain that to me, slave?" It was the first time that Haruka called Michiru "Slave" and not by her name, and Michirus fear increased. "I'm waiting, __slave!" Haruka barked, and Michiru flinched. __"Oh good Neptune, no." Michiru thought to herself. __"She started to like me, and now a stupid slip of my tongue destroyed everything…" "I…I'm sorry…", the aqua haired woman now spoke, "but…last night…when…when y-y-you…" her eyes filled with tears, and she started to stutter. "Stop stuttering!" Haruka shouted, grabbing Michirus collar in the process. Michiru let out a small, fearful whimper, and Haruka realized that she was scaring the hell out of her slave. Her temper had overtaken once more, and now the blonde felt sorry for it. She let go of Michirus collar and took a step back, pulling in a deep breath. "Sorry about that…outburst." She spoke, her voice as cold as ice. The king stepped aside, allowing Michiru to leave the room. "Get out." She pressed out between clenched teeth. "Before I loose my temper again and might do something that I regret later." Quickly, Michiru walked out of the room, and Haruka closed the door behind her. _

_"She'll punish me." Michiru thought to herself while she watched her daughter play with the doll Haruka had given to her. __"She's mad at me, and probably she'll take Hotaru away from me again…maybe I'll never be allowed to see her again…" It had been one hour since Harukas outburst, and the king hadn't been calling for Michiru; now the aqua haired woman was worried about what Haruka might come up with to punish her. As if on cue, the kings voice came to her ears: "Michiru! Into my office, __alone!" "Wait here, Hotaru." Michiru whispered before she hurried into the kings office. She shyly knocked and entered, only to see Haruka standing with her back to her, looking out of the window. "Sit down." The king spoke, and Michiru took a seat, staring down on her hands. For a few minutes, there was silence, until Haruka spoke up without turning around: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt or scare you. It's just…" She sighed and finally faced Michiru. "If anyone finds out that I'm female, I'll lose my throne." She spoke softly. "In the history of Uranus, there has never been a female ruler. And there's a law which forbids that." Haruka fell silent again, and Michiru dared to speak: "I won't tell anyone, Haruka." "Thanks." Haruka sighed, obvious relief in her eyes. "You are lonely, aren't you?" Michiru suddenly spoke, catching Haruka completely off-guard. "Wh-what?" the king stuttered, and Michiru blushed. "I meant to say…oh, Nevermind." Haruka was just about to reply when someone knocked the door. Sighing, the blonde walked over and opened it, finding her minister Ryo outside. "Your Highness, I need to talk to you." The minister said, shooting Michiru an unfriendly look. "Alone." _


	7. Default Chapter

Haruka gave her minister an unfriendly look before she turned to Michiru and spoke: „Could you wait outside, please? Or, go to your daughter meanwhile. I'll call you in when we're done." "Yes, Your Highness." Michiru replied, bowed to Ryo and left the room, closing the door behind her. Haruka motioned Ryo to sit down, and took a seat behind her desk. "Now, what do you need?" she asked. Ryo, being as direct as always, replied: "You're too friendly." "Huh?" Haruka answered intelligently, and Ryo sighed. "To your slave, Your Highness. There are already rumors going around." Dark clouds appeared over Harukas head – not literally – as her anger started to build up again. "Rumors, ha? Let me tell you something, Ryo, I don't give a damn about any rumors that circle around." Ryos jaw met the floor; the king never cursed in front of him, and that was a huge surprise. "But Your Highness!" he now called out. "What if people think that you have…feelings for that slave?" Haruka sighed and gave her minister a weird look. "Listen, Ryo…I'm friendly to her because she's my personal slave. Do you think that I want to treat her badly and then wake up dead one morning?" "Wake up…Nevermind." Ryo mumbled. "She's close to me all day, and all night." Haruka continued before she explained about the guards which had tried to rape Michiru. "I see…" Ryo said thoughtful as soon as Haruka had finished her explanation. Inwardly, the king was glad that Ryo didn't hear about her being female. Suddenly, a dirty grin appeared on the ministers face. "And, did you have…fun…with her last night?" Haruka gave him a shocked look. "No! Didn't you get it what I just told you?! If I would've raped her last night, she simply could've walked into the kitchen when I slept and cut my throat. I really don't want to risk that." Ryo shrugged. "You know better what you're missing than me. But I guess that she would be pretty good, according to her figure." Haruka just covered her eyes and sighed. "Tell me, Ryo, are you ever thinking about something else than sex?" "No." Ryo grinned, and Haruka chuckled. "I knew it. Oh, well. Anything else you  need?" "No, that's it…oh, wait, the queen of Pluto announced her visit tomorrow." "The queen of Pluto…her name's Setsuna Meioh, right? Why would she want to visit me?" Haruka wondered, and Ryo grinned. "Probably to sign a peace treaty, after you conquered Neptune." "Yeah, probably." Haruka replied, chuckling. Ryo stood up and bowed. "That's all then, Your Highness. Do you want me to send your slave in again?" Haruka shook her head. "No, thanks. I need some time to answer those letters, and she's not needed here." "Okay. See you later, then." Haruka nodded, and Ryo walked off. 

Meanwhile, Michiru watched her daughter play, wondering if Hotaru would be taken away from her again later. "Mama?" Hotaru suddenly spoke up, causing Michiru to snap out of her thoughts. "Yes, honey?" the aqua haired woman asked, smiling sweetly. "Do you like the king?" Hotaru asked, and Michiru blushed. "Like…? Well, sh…he made me a slave, so…but he's treating me well." "Do you think he'll send me back to prison?" Hotaru asked, fear in her voice. Michiru sighed and replied: "I don't know, Hotaru. I hope he won't." "Your hope will be fulfilled." A familiar, husky voice suddenly came from the door, causing both Michiru and Hotaru to jump. Michiru twirled around, only to see Haruka leaning against the timber set, smiling. Her long, dark blue cloak was flowing around her legs, and the sun shone into her face, causing her teal eyes to glisten. That was the first time Michiru realized how handsome Haruka was. Michiru knew that the word "handsome" usually was meant for men, but for Haruka it fitted perfectly. Haruka walked into the room, smiling at Michiru and Hotaru before she took a seat at the desk, next to Michiru. "You'll stay here, with your mom." She said, looking down at the happy grinning Hotaru. "Thank you, Your Kingness!" Hotaru squealed, jumped up at the desk and landed in Harukas lap, who stared down at her surprised. Again, Michiru feared that the blondes temper could overtake her, but instead of shouting, the king smiled. "You're welcome, Hotaru." Suddenly, the little girl began to squirm on Harukas lap, and yelped: "Momma! I need to go pee!" Haruka cracked up while Michiru hid her eyes in shame. Haruka pointed to the door and spoke: "There, turn left, the third door on the right side." "Thank you, Your Kingness!" With that, Hotaru ran off, leaving Haruka and Michiru alone. "She's cute." Haruka said, eyeing Michiru out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, she is." Michiru replied. Haruka stood up and started to walk around in the room. "I didn't answer your question before." She suddenly said. Michiru eyed her curiously, and the blonde talked on. "You were right. I _am lonely." The king turned around to look at Michiru, and there was an unbelievable sadness in her teal eyes. Michiru stood up and walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on the kings shoulder. "You aren't lonely anymore, Haruka. You have Hotaru here now…and I'm here,  too." "Hey, you're supposed to hate me." Haruka said, half joking, half serious. Michiru smiled and answered: "At first, I did. But you…you are treating me well. It could've come worse than that." Haruka smiled back and nodded. "I guess you're right. Come on, let's find a room where Hotaru can stay." She then said. Michiru gratefully accepted, and the two of them walked off. _


	8. Default Chapter

While Haruka was looking into the various empty rooms to find the best one for Hotaru, Michiru was running around looking for her daughter. "Hotaru! Hotaru!!" the aqua haired woman yelled, when suddenly one of the doors opened and Hotaru came jumping out. "I'm here, momma! Where's Your Kingness?" Michiru giggled at the cute expression and pointed down the hallway. "He's in one of that rooms, Hotaru. Hey, the one who finds him first wins, okay?" "Okay!" Hotaru squealed and dashed away, looking into the rooms that were on the right, while Michiru checked those on the left. Hotaru opened the third door and peeked in, when suddenly Haruka jumped out from her hiding place behind the door and shouted: "BOO!" Hotaru let out a shocked little yelp and jumped back while Michiru twirled around, only to see her daughter staring at Haruka, who was busy with laughing until tears streamed down her face. "You are mean, Your Kingness!" Hotaru informed Haruka, who now wiped the tears from her face. "Sorry", the king now panted, "but I just had to…" Michiru shook her head and walked over to the two, grinning at Haruka. "Now what do I have to find out? The king is childish." The slave grinned, causing the king to blush deeply. Haruka waved her hand and straightened up. "Don't talk to me like that, slave!" she intoned dramatically. "Or I will have to…make you clean my room!" Michiru covered her mouth with one hand in mock horror and fell to her knees. "No! Please don't! Please don't make me clean your room!" Haruka laughed again and offered one hand to her slave. "Get up again. You don't have to clean my room, I promise." "Thank you so much!" Michiru cried out while she took the offered hand and allowed Haruka to pull her to her feet again. "Okay, Your Kingness, you are not mean." Hotaru quipped, causing Haruka to smile down at her. "Thank you very much for your forgiveness, Hotaru." She then spoke, bowing in front of the little girl. Hotaru beamed. "Momma, did you see that? The king bowed to _me!" "Yes, I saw it." Michiru replied, a sudden feeling of sadness overwhelming her. She remembered the times when she had been the princess of Neptune, and people had bowed to her. Now she was forced to bow in front of others. Feeling the tears come, Michiru quickly mumbled a short excuse and vanished into her room, the worried looks of Haruka and Hotaru following her. "Hotaru." The king now spoke, drawing the little girls attention to her, "why don't you go into your room and see if you need anything? It's over there." Hotaru nodded and ran off, while Haruka walked over to Michirus room and knocked. "Hey", the king spoke to the closed door, "can I come in?" "Yeah." Came the muffled reply. Haruka slowly opened the door and peeked in. Michiru was lying on her bed, her face buried in the pillows. Her shoulders were shaking, and to Haruka it was obvious that she was crying. The king slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, placing a gentle hand on Michirus back. "Want to talk about it?" the king asked softly, causing Michiru to sit up. "No." the aqua haired girl replied while she wiped her tears away. "You surely would get mad at me…" "I won't. Promise." Haruka answered, putting one hand over her heart. Michiru gave her a weak smile and finally talked about the things and thoughts that bothered her. "See…I was a princess before. And then, from day to another, I was captured and taken as a slave." Haruka stayed silent and looked down at her feet while Michiru talked on. "Can you imagine how hard that is? While we were taken here, I heard enough stories about you to be scared to death. And then you chose me to be your personal slave, and I…I was so afraid…but then…you were so kind to me, and now I simply don't know what I shall think about you! You could pretend to be all nice and good to get my trust, and then shove it in my face one day! I just…" Michirus voice cracked, and she threw herself into Harukas arms, crying into her shirt. Haruka was stunned for a few seconds, but then, she slowly put her arms around the crying woman, holding her tight. "I'm just afraid of getting hurt." Michiru whispered while Haruka gently stroke her back. "I want to trust you, but I'm afraid you might hurt me…is that so hard to understand?" "No." Haruka answered softly. "I do understand you, Michiru. And…you should know that I would never hurt you." Finally, Michiru looked up, leaving Harukas shirt tear stained. Haruka shifted around uncomfortable at her slaves gaze and talked on: "You see…before I chose you to be my slave, all the stories you heard about me probably were true. But you…I just couldn't hurt you, or be mean to you. It felt…wrong." Haruka sighed before she made the ultimate confession: "You touched my heart, Michiru. I had built up walls around it, but you tore them down." Michiru blushed. "Haruka, I…I don't know what to say…" she stammered. Haruka just gave her a sly smile. "You don't need to say anything, Michiru. Your eyes tell me enough." Michirus blush deepened, and she almost turned purple when she realized that Haruka still held her in her arms. Quickly, the aqua haired woman crawled off Harukas lap and straightened up. "Where's Hotaru?" she then asked. Haruka cleared her throat; the atmosphere of peace and trust between her and Michiru had been destroyed, and she wasn't to happy about that. "In that room over there." The king sighed, pointing. Michiru just was about to walk out when she suddenly stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at Haruka. "Thank you." She spoke softly. "For everything." And then, she left, leaving Haruka sitting on her bed with her heart racing. _


	9. Default Chapter

The king yawned and started to undress herself, while Michiru was playing with Hotaru in the little girl's room. Haruka quickly put on her pajamas, in fear of someone unexpected entering – Ryo, for example, he never knocked – and carefully hung her cloak on it's hook. That was when somebody knocked at the door, and the king looked up surprised. "Yes?" The door opened, and Hotaru poked her head in. "Hello Your Kingness!" she quipped. "Hey Hotaru. Where's your mom?" Haruka asked, smiling. "She's taking a shower. She told me not to go to you, but I didn't obey her." Hotaru informed the king. Haruka chuckled and playfully scolded Hotaru: "You better not let your momma catch you  here,  or she'll get mad." "Nah, Momma never gets mad at me." Hotaru replied while she jumped over to the king. "Thanks for the dolly!" the little girl spoke, grinning. "You're welcome. I…" Haruka was cut off in mid-sentence when Michirus voice drifted into the room: "Hotaru! Where are you?" Hotaru covered her mouth with one hand and tried to hide behind Harukas legs, but she was too slow. Michiru entered the room and spotted her. "H-o-t-a-r-u-!" the aqua haired woman spoke, trying to sound angry. "What did I tell you?" "Oh, Nevermind her." Haruka butted in, causing Michiru to look at her surprised. "We were talking about…important matters." "Yes", Hotaru continued, sounding _very important, "about really important matters, Momma." Michiru frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Care to tell me about the matters, then?" Haruka scratched the back of her head, before a light bulb appeared over her head, and she quickly spoke: "Toys." Michirus eyebrows went up. "Toys?" she asked, and Haruka nodded. "Hotaru will need some toys to play with." The king quickly explained. "Aha." Michiru slowly said. Hotaru already felt relief creep up inside her, but then a mischief glint appeared in Michirus eyes, and the little girls heart sank. She had seen that glint way to often to misunderstand it. "If it's like that…I'll need some things, too, Your Highness." "Yeah…?" Haruka replied, smiling nervously. "And that would be?" "A cage, so I can keep an eye on Hotaru while she plays with her toys." Michiru stated. Harukas eyebrows went up. "A __cage? You don't mean that." "Nooo." Hotaru begged, looking up at the king with huge cute eyes. "Don't give it to her, Your Kingness!" Haruka looked at Michiru, and suddenly both women burst into laughter. Hotaru just stood there, looking from one to another, until she shrugged and said: "Adults."_

"Do you want me to sleep in your room again?" Michiru asked while she watched Haruka, who was brushing her teeth. "Mf chou chant choo!" Haruka replied, and Michiru stared at her dumbfounded. "Huh?" the aqua haired girl replied intelligently, and Haruka chuckled before she spat a lot of foam into the basin and repeated: "If you want to." Michiru gave her an odd look. "What do you mean, if you want to? I'm your slave. You can command me to do it, or to sleep in my own room." Haruka smiled at her and shook her head. "But I don't want to command you. You decide." Michiru quickly thought about the options she had and came to a decision: "Well…I'm still a little afraid of the guards, so I'd like to sleep in your room." "Okay." Haruka grinned while she combed her hair. Finally, the king was finished and ready for bed. "Let's go to sleep, then. Tomorrow the queen of Pluto will come for a visit, and I have to be fully awake." Michiru nodded, and the two of them crawled into the huge bed. Without thinking long, the aqua haired woman snuggled up to the king, and Haruka put her arms around her. They laid like that for a few minutes, until Haruka spoke up and broke the silence: "You know what?" "Mhm?" came Michirus sleepy sounding answer. "We're lying here like…a couple." Haruka grinned in the darkness when she felt Michiru stiffen at her remark. The aqua haired woman tried to wriggle out of Harukas embrace, but the king wouldn't let her. "Don't." Haruka whispered into her ear. "Stay here with me. Please." "Okay." Michiru replied, smiling. Her head came to a rest on Harukas shoulder, and she let out a happy sigh. "Seems as you like it here." Haruka smiled, and Michiru blushed, happy that Haruka couldn't see that in the dark bedroom. "Yes, I do." The slave replied. There was silence again, until Michiru spoke up: "What is she like? The queen of Pluto, I mean." Haruka shrugged, causing Michiru to grumble, and answered: "I dunno, never met her before. She's said to be all knowing." "Really?" Michiru gasped. "How can that be?" "I have no clue." Haruka admitted. "Maybe it's just a rumor. I'll find out tomorrow…or, better said, _we'll _find out." "We?" Michiru echoed, and Haruka chuckled at the surprised voice of her slave. "Yes, we. I'll have lunch with Setsuna tomorrow, and I'm afraid that you'll have to serve the food…and stay in the same room, in case we need something." Michiru giggled, causing Harukas eyebrows to shoot up. "What's so funny?" "The way you said that. I'm afraid you'll have to serve the food. It sounded as if you're afraid that I could get mad at you for telling me that." Haruka chuckled and replied: "Well, maybe I was afraid. Maybe I just want you to be happy…and to like me." That caught Michiru off-guard, and she didn't reply anything to it. Haruka also stayed silent, and finally the two women fell asleep. 


	10. Default Chapter

Haruka was in the middle of dreamland when suddenly something heavy landed on her chest. Her first thought was _"Attack! Someone attacks me!", followed by __"Since when are soldiers so small?" The king opened her eyes, only to see Hotaru sitting on her, grinning. Next to her, Michiru stirred and also woke up. "Good morning!" Hotaru chirped, and Haruka sighed and closed her eyes. "Hotaru, what are you doing on my stomach?" she asked, causing Michiru to giggle. "Nothing!" the little girl replied and crawled off, ending up between Haruka and Michiru. "Did you sleep well?" Michiru asked, and Hotaru nodded. "Yes! My bed is soooo soft and comfy." Haruka smiled, reached out and ruffled Hotarus hair. "Only the best for my guests." She grinned, and Michiru laughed. "So, am I some kind of special guest for you, Haruka? After all, you let me sleep in your bed, and it has to be the comfiest of all." Haruka blushed, causing Hotaru to giggle, and quickly crawled out of the bed. "Michiru, can you make a small breakfast? The lunch with Setsuna will be huge – don't worry, you don't have to prepare it – and I don't want to be stuffed from breakfast afterwards." "Alright, Haruka." Michiru replied. "Can I help you, Momma?" Hotaru asked, pulling Michirus nightgown while she talked. "I don't know, Hotaru, ask Haruka if he allows it." Michiru replied. Hotaru looked at the king with huge, cute eyes. "Can I, Your Kingness? Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?" Haruka laughed and nodded. "Sure, Hotaru. But watch out, if you break anything, you'll have to pay it!" Hotaru gasped and nodded. "I will be really careful, your Kingness!" Haruka patted the girls head and went to get dressed while Michiru took Haruka into the kitchen to prepare the breakfast._

When Haruka appeared in the dining room, Michirus jaw met the floor. Wearing a darkblue tuxedo with matching tie and cloak, Haruka looked gorgeous. "Close your mouth." Haruka advised her slave, grinning. Michiru quickly obeyed her master and put the breakfast on the desk. "Here you go, a small breakfast." She grinned. Haruka eyed the cornflakes and the coffee, decided that it was small enough and started to eat. As soon as she was finished, Hotaru came bouncing by and took the empty plate and coffee mug over to the sink. Haruka watched the little girl with a small smile. _My family. The king frowned at that thought; where had it come from? "Haruka?" Michirus voice interrupted her thoughts, and the king looked up. "Yes…?" Michiru sat down next to her and asked: "Can you give me information about what I have to do today?" "Oh, not much, don't worry. The food will be brought up by our palace cooks and be stored over there", the king pointed to a long desk that stood at the southern wall of the room, "where you'll serve the different menus to my guest and me." "Okay. Hopefully I don't screw it up." Haruka smiled and patted her shoulder. "I don't think so. Anyway, it's time to get ready. I had a special dress for you sent to your room, wanna go and change your clothes?" "Sure!" Michiru beamed and quickly hurried into her room. Hotaru was left standing at the sink, looking kind of lost. "Hey, Hotaru. Go to your momma and help her, huh?" Haruka grinned, and Hotaru nodded and ran off. As soon as she was gone, the door opened and two men entered, both wearing the colors of planet Pluto. "Your Majesty, meet the queen of Pluto, Setsuna Meioh!" One of them announced. Haruka straightened up when the two guards stepped aside and Setsuna entered the room. Haruka walked over to the queen and took her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Queen Setsuna." She spoke, smiling charmingly at the green haired woman before she bent down and kissed the back of Setsunas hand. "My pleasure, King Haruka." Haruka smiled and accompanied Setsuna over to the desk, where both of them sat down. Setsuna shot her guards a look and waved her hand, causing them to walk out of the room. That was when Michiru entered; she bowed to Setsuna, then to Haruka, and started to serve the soup. "I hope that you like the food my cooks prepared." Haruka spoke to Setsuna, without paying any attention to Michiru. She hated to do that, but it wasn't common that kings talked to their slaves. Michiru finished serving the soup and stepped back, stopping next to the desk where she waited. Haruka took the first spoon of the soup, while Setsuna didn't eat anything. "I'm here to sign a peace treaty, King Haruka." She said as soon as Haruka had swallowed. "A peace treaty, huh?" the king repeated. "Well, there's no reason why we shouldn't sign it." Setsuna smiled at her and replied: "That's great. You see, I'm eager to keep my kingdom, and I don't want to end up as a slave like the Neptunian princess." Michiru flinched at the last remark, but Harukas face remained calm and uncaring. "I fully understand that, Queen Setsuna. I guess you have the peace treaty already with you…?" "Of course." Setsuna answered, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. Haruka grinned, finished her soup and reached for it. _

Michiru was just about to serve the main menu when she saw how Harukas hand started to tremble. The blonde moaned in pain and clutched her stomach, while Setsuna jumped from her seat. "Your Highness!" Michiru called out while she ran over to her master. Haruka fell from her chair before the aqua haired woman reached her, and Setsuna knelt down next to her. She looked up at Michiru with worried eyes. "Poison." She then said. "Go and get the palace doctor, now!" Michiru nodded and ran off. 


	11. Default Chapter

Michiru sat in her room, biting her nails, while the palace doctor took care of Haruka in the king's bedroom. She didn't hear the two guards that came walking down the hall, until they kicked her door open and stormed into the room. "Don't move!" one of them yelled, aiming his spear at the shocked aqua haired woman. The other guard jumped at Michiru, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her. "What are you doing?" the slave cried out in fear when cold handcuffs closed around her wrists. "We arrest you for poisoning the king!" "WHAT?" Michiru shouted, shocked. "I didn't do it!" she defended herself. The guards, however, didn't bother to listen. They just grabbed her arms and pulled her out of her room.

Haruka awoke with a dull headache. She blinked into the light, groaned and closed her eyes again. "You're awake?" A known voice suddenly came. Haruka opened her eyes and spotted Setsuna in one of the corners of her room. "Queen Setsuna." The king mumbled surprised. "What are you doing in my room?" "I'm here to inform you about your slave." Setsuna replied while she rose from her chair and walked over to the bed. "She's in trouble." The green haired woman stated, and Harukas eyes went wide. "In trouble? What do you mean, in trouble?" "Your minister…Ryo, I think…he's convinced that it was Michiru who put the poison into the soup." "That is insane!" Haruka barked, sitting up. "Why should she do that?" Setsuna shrugged and grinned. "I know that she didn't do it, King Haruka. I'm all knowing." Haruka frowned. "You are? So the rumors are true…oh, forget about that now! I need to get Michiru out of that trouble." The king jumped out of her bed, ignoring the fact that she only wore pajamas, and quickly started to get dressed. "You love that woman, don't you?" Setsunas soft voice came from behind, startling the blonde king. Haruka sighed and threw her cloak over her shoulders before she turned to Setsuna. "I guess there's no need lying to you about it, huh?" Setsuna chuckled and nodded. "You're right, King Haruka. Or should I call you Qu…" "SHHT!" Haruka jumped forward and covered Setsunas mouth. "Don't you mention that detail! You know what it would mean for me if anyone finds out!" she whispered into Setsunas ear. Setsuna nodded, and Haruka took her hand away. "I have to get down into the dungeon now. Before anything happens to Michiru." She stated. Setsuna nodded. "I'll come with you, in case the effects of the poison kick back in. Luckily it was rather harmless." Haruka agreed on that, and the two of them hurried down into the dungeon.

"Confess now, dammit!" the chief guard of the dungeon yelled, slapping Michiru one more time. The aqua haired woman's lips were bleeding on several places, and her eye started to become black. "I didn't do it." Michiru whispered, squeezing her eyes shut in awaiting of the next slap. The chief guard just lashed out to hit the slave again, when suddenly a strong hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Wha…?" The guard turned around, only to see something blonde before a fist connecting with his chin, sending him flying into the wall. Michiru opened her eyes again, only to see Haruka standing over the trembling chief guard, staring down at him with sheer rage in her eyes. Her knuckles were bleeding from the hard hit she had given the guard, but she didn't even notice. "You goddamn piece of shit." The king snarled. She grabbed the guards collar and pulled him up to eye level. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. "She poisoned you, Your Highness!" the guard tried to defend himself. "She didn't do it!" Haruka yelled at him, causing him to flinch. "And you don't have anything to prove it, right?" the guard nodded ashamed, and Haruka let go of him. "This…incident…will have consequences for you." She announced while she freed Michirus hands and helped her to get up from the chair she had been tied to. Michiru buried her face in Harukas chest, and a sob racked her body. "Shhht." Haruka whispered, stroking her back. "Let's get you out of here, okay?" Michiru nodded, and Haruka led her out of the cell, not bothering to look at the guard once more. Setsuna stayed back, though; she grinned at the guard and spoke: "Don't worry, the discipline measures the king will take won't be that bad." She walked out of the small room, leaving the poor guard totally confused. 

When Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna arrived in Michirus room, Hotaru was in a frenzy.  "Momma!" the little girl called out when she saw her mom enter the room. "Finally! Where have you…what happened to your face?!" Michiru gave her daughter a weak smile, though her busted lips hurt when she did so, and replied: "Nothing too bad, Hotaru. Don't worry." Haruka led her slave over to the bed and made her lie down on it. "You stay here." She ordered. "I'll go get the doctor." "I'll get him." Setsuna offered, and she had already left the room before Haruka could reply. Suddenly, the green haired head appeared again in the doorway, and the queen of Pluto spoke: "Hotaru, wanna come with me?" "Yes!" Hotaru squealed with joy and ran out, leaving Haruka and Michiru alone. _"That evil Plutonian!" Haruka thought to herself. __"She did that on purpose to leave me alone with Michiru!" Gulping, Haruka turned to look at her slave. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently. Michiru just looked up at her, and that was when Haruka realized that Michiru was near tears. "Hey." Haruka spoke, sitting down next to her slave. "Don't cry. What's bothering you?" "I didn't do it." Michiru whispered. "Haruka, I didn't poison you…I swear, I…" "Shhht." Haruka interrupted her by putting one finger over her lips. "I know that, Michiru. I don't know why Ryo would think that you did it." Michiru reached out and took Harukas hand into hers, causing the king to blush. "Thanks for believing me, Haruka." She softly spoke. "I already thought you would…" "Would what?" Haruka asked gently. "Take Hotaru away from me as punishment." Michiru answered softly, looking down. Haruka gave her hand a gentle squeeze and replied: "I would never do that, Michiru. I like her way too much." Michiru smiled and sat upright, her eyes meeting Harukas. They just sat there, looking into each others eyes, until the doctor arrived. _


	12. Default Chapter

While the palace doctor took care of Michiru, Haruka had a little talk with her minister Ryo. "Tell me, Ryo, why would you think that it was Michiru who poisoned me?" the king asked angered, causing Ryo to shrink. "Well, Your Highness…it was the most possible thing that she did it!" "Yeah right." Haruka snorted. "Just because she's my slave, she did it, right? Does the word prejudice mean anything to you, Ryo?" The minister hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Your Highness." He apologized. Haruka sighed and nodded. "Okay. But you have to apologize to Michiru too, got that?" Ryo blushed and nodded before he asked: "Is it true that one of the guards beat her?" Haruka nodded, her anger boiling up again. "He'll be punished, Ryo, don't worry about that." She then announced. Ryo nodded again, sympathy for the poor guard welling up inside him, and quickly walked out of the room. Haruka looked after him for a while before she left her office and went into Michirus room.

The doctor finished tending to the aqua haired woman's wounds and left right when Haruka entered. The king stopped him into the doorway and asked: "How is she doing?" "Fine, fine." The doctor calmed her down. "She didn't get hurt too bad. Within two days, her lips will be alright again, and the black eye should vanish too." Haruka gave a relieved sigh and allowed the doctor to leave before she entered Michirus room. The aqua haired woman laid on her bed, her eyes closed, and Haruka wasn't sure if she was asleep or awake. "Michiru?" the king softly spoke, and Michiru opened her eyes to look at her. "Hey, Haruka." She smiled at the blonde, Haruka returned the smile and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Michiru sat up in the covers and reached out for Harukas hand once more. Haruka took her slaves hand into hers, her thumb absent-minded caressing Michirus palm. "Michiru…there's something I need to tell you." She then said, her voice hoarse with emotion. Michiru locked eyes with her, a little smile on her face. "Yes?" she asked gently, hoping that Haruka would admit her love for her. _I've been waiting so long now, Haruka. "Michiru, I…I…" Haruka blushed furiously and looked down on the floor. Michiru reached out and gently caressed Harukas cheek, causing her to look up again. "Maybe I should start, Haruka." Michiru whispered. "That could make it easier for you." Haruka just nodded, and Michiru smiled at her once more. "You see, Haruka…when I came here, I hated you." She started. Haruka just sat there and listened, and Michiru talked on. "But you were so kind to me…you let me see Hotaru, and you allowed her to stay here with me. Slowly, my hate towards you turned into liking you, and then…it turned into love." Harukas eyes lightened up with relief, and Michirus smile grew wider. "I love you, Haruka." Finally, the words were out, and Michiru felt how a huge weight was lifted from her soul. Slowly, Haruka leaned towards her, and their lips met in a soft kiss. Michiru felt how she floated up into seventh heaven when Harukas strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around Harukas neck and allowed the kings tongue to enter her mouth. Finally, the two of them broke the kiss, and Haruka looked into her loves eyes once more. "I love you too." She softly spoke, stroking Michirus face. The king pulled her slave into a hug, and they sat on the bed holding each other for a long time._

Ryo was hurrying down the hall, over to his rooms, when suddenly one of the many doors in the hallway opened. "Ryo!" a deep, male voice hissed, "get in here!" Ryo looked left and right, found that no one was there who could see him and entered the room. He closed the door, turned around – and grabbed the man who stood behind him, shoving him against the wall. "You idiot! You didn't succeed!" the minister hissed, and the man raised his hands. "I'm sorry!" he babbled. "But I…" "Silence!" Ryo thundered. "You know what you have to do, don't you?" The man nodded and hung his gray haired head in shame. "It won't happen again, Ryo. Next time I will succeed." "Well, I hope you do!" Ryo hissed. "If you don't, we're in deep!" The man nodded again, and Ryo quickly left the room.

Hotaru watched with amazement how the king sneaked up on her mom and suddenly encircled her from behind, planting a kiss on her neck. "Mommy?" Hotaru spoke up, and Michiru flinched; she hadn't noticed that the girl had entered the room. "Hotaru!" Haruka and Michiru blurted out the same time, while Haruka quickly let go of her love. Hotaru walked up to Haruka and pointed an accusing finger at her: "You kissed my mommy! I saw it!" Haruka blushed, and her blush deepened when a grinning Setsuna entered the room. "What do I hear? King Haruka kissed Michiru?" "Are you in love?" Hotaru quipped, and Michiru joined Haruka in blushing. "Ummm…yes." Haruka finally admitted. Suddenly, Hotaru started off towards her, wrapped her arms around the kings legs and yelped: "I have a daddy now! Haruka-Papa!" Setsuna cracked up while Harukas eyes bulged out and Michiru hid her face in shame. 

Authors' Note: This is not finished yet. I repeat, this is not finished yet. There will be more ^_^


	13. Default Chapter

Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru were sitting in the dining room, having dinner, while Setsuna was with her minister to prepare a new peace treaty. Hotaru was sitting on Harukas lap, much to Michirus amusement; Haruka didn't seem to mind about it either, since she didn't bark or scold Hotaru. The three of them just had finished their dinner when Setsuna came walking in, waving the new peace treaty around. "Hi there!" the queen of Pluto grinned. "Hi!" the three women replied unison. Setsuna pulled a pen out of her pocket and put it on the desk, along with the peace treaty. "Here, the new one. The old one god soaked with soup when you broke down poisoned." Haruka quickly read through it, then signed it. "There you go." She grinned, handing the treaty to Setsuna. "Eternal peace between Uranus and Pluto." "Very good." Setsuna chuckled. Hotaru eyed the queen of Pluto curiously and asked: "Auntie Setsuna, what's a peace treaty?" Harukas eyebrows went up. "Auntie Setsuna?" she echoed, and Setsuna laughed. "Hotaru came up with that when we went to get the doctor." She then explained. "Ooookay…" Haruka mumbled, and Michiru giggled. "Haruka, dear, don't rack your brains about it. Hotaru just loves to gain new relatives." "Yeah, already found that out." Haruka agreed. Hotaru turned her head to look at her and asked: "And what's that supposed to mean, Haruka-Papa?" Haruka chuckled and ruffled Hotarus hair. "Nevermind, dear. Hey, why don't we go look for some toys you can play with?" "Yay!" Hotaru squealed and jumped off Harukas lap. She grabbed the kings hand and pulled it. "Come on, Haruka-papa!" she demanded. "Slowly, slowly!" Haruka laughed down at her before she turned to Michiru. "Honey, are you coming with us? Or are you staying here with Setsuna?" "I'll stay here." Michiru replied, much to Setsunas happiness. Haruka nodded and allowed Hotaru to pull her out of the room. 

Michiru and Setsuna sat at the table, drinking Uranian tea and chatting about various things when someone banged the door frantically. Both women flinched, then Michiru jumped up and walked over to the door, opening it – only to find Ryo standing outside, panting. His shirt was soaked with blood. "Ryo!" Michiru called out in shock. "What happened?" "Come quick…" Ryo panted. "Haruka…" Michiru grabbed Ryos collar. „What's with Haruka?" she asked frantically. "Is this her blood on your shirt? Tell me, _dammit!" Ryo just nodded and grabbed Michirus hands. "Come now! I'll explain later!" he yelled, and the two ran off – followed by Setsuna, who knew what was going to happen, but couldn't tell them._

Ryo led Michiru and Setsuna into an abandoned part of the palace; on their way there, the trio ran into Hotaru, who was sitting with her back against the wall, shivering. "Hotaru!" Michiru called out, kneeling down next to her adopted daughter. "What happened?" "Momma!" Hotaru cried out, throwing herself into Michirus arms. "There were two men…they took Haruka-Papa away!" Michiru looked at Ryo, and the minister closed his eyes. "We are too late." he whispered. "Oh Uranus, we're too late…" Michiru stood up again, grabbed Ryo and shoved him hard into the next wall. "What do you mean, too late?" she screamed at the poor man. "It's not his fault." Setsuna butted in, causing Michiru to look at her. "How come you know?" she asked. Setsuna gave a weak smile. "I'm all-knowing. But I can't tell the future, because it would change the timeline." She explained. Michiru looked back at Ryo and let him out of her grasp. Ryo leaned back against the wall, panting. "Explain that, now!" Michiru demanded. Ryo nodded and started to talk. "See, my brother is living here in the palace, too. Once he overheard two of the lower ministers talk about killing Haruka, so Uranus and Neptune would be ruled from the council of five ministers. My dear brother also found out that they wanted to poison Haruka, but he informed me too late. I couldn't keep them from doing it." "But if you knew that they did it, why did you put the blame on me?" Michiru asked. "I couldn't let them know that I know about their plans, so I had to blame you for cover." Ryo admitted. "I knew that they want to kill Haruka, but I didn't know that they would try again that fast!" Michiru closed her eyes to concentrate. "Where did they take her?" she finally asked. Ryos eyes bulged out. "HER?" Michiru realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth with one hand. "Oops." Setsuna commented, only to earn a dirty look from Michiru and Ryo. "Forget about that now!" Hotaru suddenly cried out. "We have to save my papa!" Ryo nodded and pointed down the hallway. "Maybe we catch them on their way to the cellar. I think they want to take Haruka out of the palace and into the desert, and they hid car down in the dungeons to get him…her out." Michiru nodded, and the two ran off while Setsuna stayed behind with Hotaru.

Haruka awoke to a dull headache. She moaned behind the cloth that was tied between her teeth, and when she tried to sit up she had to find out that her hands and feet were bound tightly. Far away, she could hear two men talking to each other. "Let's finish him off, now!" one of them demanded. "No! Not in the palace!" came the reply. Haruka moaned again, her head sinking back on the cold concrete of the cellar. She was in deep trouble. 


	14. Default Chapter

Haruka forced herself to lay still when she heard footsteps approach; the wound over her right eyebrow sent waves of pain through her head, and she had to bite down on the gag to keep herself from moaning. "Let's get him into the desert." One of the two men spoke, and Haruka recognized his voice. It was one of the five ministers she had taken into her council. _"Asshole." The blonde thought to herself, angered. She heard footsteps approach, then someone grabbed her arm. And suddenly, with a move as fast as lightning, the king landed a powerful header, sending her traitorous minister to the floor. She jumped up and started to run, although it was hard to run with her hands tied behind her. "Shit!" the minister yelled while he scrambled to his feet again. "Shoot him!" Haruka heard how a crossbow went off, but before she could duck to avoid the bolt, it dug deep into her right shoulder, tearing through flesh and muscle only to stop in her lung. The king screamed in tremendous pain and fell to her knees, blood pouring from the deep wound. The two ministers ran over to her, when suddenly the door burst open and a __very angered quartette stormed in._

Michiru saw her love lying on the floor, her hands bound and her shoulder bleeding, called out "Haruka!" and rushed over to the king. Ryo and Setsuna attacked the two ministers, Ryo knocking one of them out cold immediately. Setsuna seemed to have a little trouble with the other one, but a knee into his groin brought him down too. Hotaru joined her mother in being worried about Haruka. "Haruka-Papa!" the girl cried out, kneeling down next to her daddy's side. "Hotaru, free her from the gag." Michiru advised her daughter while she worked on the rope that held Harukas hands on her back. Finally, the knot was undone, and Haruka moaned in pain when her arms fell down to her side. "Shht." Michiru whispered, stroking her lover's blonde hair. Hotaru pulled the gag from Harukas mouth, and Michiru used it to press it on the still bleeding wound. Haruka moaned again; it was obvious that she was dangerously close to fall unconscious. Michiru shot Ryo a pleading look. "Please, Ryo, get the doctor! Fast!" Ryo just nodded, not caring about the fact that a slave was commanding him around, and ran off while Setsuna put a gentle hand on Michirus shoulder. "Don't worry, Michiru. She'll make it." Michiru looked up at the queen of Pluto, and suddenly anger filled her eyes. "You knew that this would happen!" she blurted out. "Why didn't you do anything?" "I can't." Setsuna replied calmly. "I'm not allowed to use my knowledge of the future, it would change destiny." "I don't care about that!" Michiru spat. "Haruka is hurt, badly hurt, and you could've done something to avoid that!" Setsuna sighed. "Listen, Michiru, I also could have warned you before Haruka conquered Neptune. But I'm not allowed to. It would change the timeline." Michiru closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, the anger had faded away. "Sorry." She finally said. "It wasn't right to yell at you like that." "It's okay." Setsuna replied. Michiru gave her a little smile, and that was when the doctor arrived. 

Michiru entered Harukas room, tiptoeing over to the huge bed. "You don't have to be quiet." Harukas voice suddenly came from the bed. "I'm awake." Michiru did a little jump before she ran over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "How are you feeling?" the aqua haired woman asked, smiling gently at her wounded lover. Haruka gave her a weak smile and replied: "Not too bad. I hate this sling, though." Using her healthy arm, the king pointed to the sling that kept her right arm in a resting position on her stomach. Michiru just smiled and bent down to kiss her love. The couple shared a long, gentle kiss, but they were interrupted when the door burst open and Hotaru came running in. "Haruka-Papa!" she called out. "Are you okay?" Haruka smiled at the little girl, nodded and ruffled her hair. "I'm fine, Hotaru." The door opened once more, this time slower than before, and Setsuna entered. "King Haruka." She bowed to the blonde, who sighed and waved her healthy hand. "Setsuna,  stop that. You helped to save my life." Setsuna grinned at her and sat down next to Michiru. "I'll leave Uranus in two hours, Haruka." She informed the king. Hotaru frowned. "Why are you leaving again, Auntie Setsuna?" she then asked. "Because I have to. I'm a queen, you know." Setsuna replied before she returned her attention to Haruka. "But I'd like to invite you and Michiru to Pluto. As soon as you're healthy again, that is." Haruka nodded and smiled. "We'd be honored to visit your planet, Setsuna." She then said. Michiru agreed, and Setsuna shook Harukas left hand. "See you soon, then. Bye Michiru, bye Hotaru!" "Bye bye!" it came unison. Setsuna left the room, followed by Hotaru who volunteered to help her with the packing. Haruka flashed a smile at her lover. "Finally, alone again. Now, where were we…?"


	15. Default Chapter

„...and thus, I command to execute the two traitors tomorrow, when the sun is rising." Haruka spoke, earning lots of applause from the people who had been at the trial of the two ministers. The two men sat on their bench, staring at their chained wrists and ankles. "Get them out of here and into the dungeon." Haruka commanded, and the guards fulfilled her order. The king leaned back in her chair, glad that the trial was finally over. Her shoulder hurt like hell, and the pain flashed through her arm in constant waves. Michiru, who stood behind Harukas chair, knew that her lover was in pain; there was a thin line of sweat on her brow, and her right hand was shivering uncontrollably. Slowly, the king rose from her seat in the court, allowing Michiru to hang her cloak over her shoulders. The two of them left the court and returned to Harukas rooms, Michiru supporting the king. "Does it hurt bad?" the aqua haired woman asked, concern in her voice. Haruka just nodded, and a small moan escaped her. "You should lie down." Michiru gently spoke while she opened the door to Harukas bedroom. "After all, you lost a lot of blood yesterday, and you're still weak." "Yes mom." Haruka mocked, and Michiru giggled. "Good kid." She waited until Haruka had undressed and laid in the bed, then undresses herself and crawled under the covers, careful not to hurt Haruka. The blonde put her healthy arm around Michiru and yawned – the trial had tired her out. "Try to sleep, Haruka." Michiru whispered into the kings ear before kissing her lightly on the mouth. "I'll be here and look after you." Haruka nodded, already halfway in dreamland. Michiru smiled and kissed her again, and a few moments later, the king was fast asleep. 

When Haruka awoke again, it was dark outside. Michiru laid next to her, her head resting on her healthy shoulder, sleeping peacefully. Haruka smiled down at her love, gently running her left hand through the aqua colored hair. Michiru stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Haruka checked the watch – 2:26 in the morning – and decided that she could need a few more hours of sleep.

The next morning, both Haruka and Michiru woke up when Hotaru burst into the room. "Good morning Mom and Dad!" the little girl squealed, jumping onto the bed and grinning. "Morning." Haruka replied sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Michiru yawned and stretched, almost knocking Hotaru off the bed. "Hey!" the girl squealed. "Watch it, momma!" Michiru giggled and replied: "Sorry." Haruka sat upright and yawned, still sleepy. "Is the breakfast ready?" she then asked, and Hotaru nodded. "Some woman came and made it. She shouted at me when I wanted to help her." The little girl then pouted. Haruka frowned. "Really? Show me the woman and I'll give her a little lecture about yelling at my daughter." Michiru looked at the king, pure surprise in her eyes. Although Haruka had never protested against Hotaru calling her Daddy or Haruka-Papa, she never had called the young girl daughter before. Hotaru grinned and nodded, grabbing her papas hand. "Come on, maybe the woman is still there!" Haruka climbed out of the bed and quickly got dressed, then she followed Hotaru into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Michiru also got out of bed, dressed and started to collect the kings clothes for washing. Suddenly, Harukas voice came from the kitchen: "You! Why do you shout at poor Hotaru?" The woman's reply wasn't audible, but it seemed to upset Haruka. "She is _allowed to stay here!" the king hollered, and Michiru smirked. __"Poor woman." She thought to herself. Luckily, the reply of the woman seemed to calm Haruka down this time, because she allowed her to leave. One minute later, Hotaru came jumping in again. "Daddy scolded the evil woman!" she informed Michiru. "Oh, and she told me to get you. The breakfast is for the two of you." Michiru seemed surprised, but she followed Hotaru into the dining room, where Haruka was already eating. "Hey Michi." The blonde spoke between two mouthfuls of bacon, "come and eat with me." Michiru smiled, nodded and sat down. "Thanks, Haruka." "No problem, love." Haruka replied. The two of them started to eat, and Haruka allowed Hotaru to steal bits and pieces from her plate. Well, maybe "allowed" wasn't the right word; each time Hotaru snatched a piece of toast or bacon from the kings breakfast, the blonde just pretended that she didn't notice. Michiru watched anxious how Hotaru followed Harukas coffee cup on its way to the kings mouth and back to the table. Suddenly, the girl pointed to the far corner of the room and yelped: "Oh, daddy, look! Over there!" Haruka of curse knew that trick, but she looked anyway. As soon as her head was turned, Hotaru grabbed the cup and took a deep gulp. The little girls eyes widened, and she almost spit the coffee back out. Luckily she swallowed it down, but then she yelled: "UGLY!" Haruka started to laugh, and Michiru cracked up while Hotaru sat on her papas lap, pouting._


	16. Default Chapter

„Michiru?" The aqua haired woman looked up from the book she had been reading, eyeing Haruka questioningly. "Yes, dear?" she then asked, smiling. Three weeks had passed since the two ministers tried to kill Haruka, and the blonde had recovered from her wound pretty good, although her shoulder still hurt sometimes. The king now entered the room, her long cloak flowing around her legs – a sight Michiru just loved. Haruka nervously played with her shirt, and Michiru wondered why her love seemed so restless. "Are you alright, Haruka? You look a little pale." She spoke, sounding worried. Haruka gave her a little smile and sat down next to her. "There's something I need you to ask, Michiru." Michiru eyed her curiously, and Haruka took in a deep breath before she got up from her seat again and knelt down in front of the surprised Michiru. The blonde took her lover's hand into hers and started to speak. 

"Michiru, I love you. Before we met, I was cold and ruthless, but you showed me first the meaning of friendship and then the meaning of love." Michiru looked at her blonde lover, tears welling up in her eyes. _"Is she…no, that can't be. That would be too good to be true." The aqua haired woman thought to herself. "I need you, Michiru." Haruka now spoke on. "You're the love of my life. That's why I'm asking you now, will you marry me?" Michiru was speechless for a moment while Haruka looked up at her, hope and love shining from her eyes. "Yes." Michiru finally whispered, the tears now running down her cheeks. "Yes, I will, Haruka." The aqua haired woman pulled Haruka to her feet, and the two of them sank into a long, deep kiss. As soon as they broke apart, Haruka pulled a little box from her pocket, opened it and showed the diamond ring to Michiru. The aqua haired woman stared at the expensive ring in awe, and she was more than happy when Haruka gently took her left hand and put the ring onto her finger. "I love you." Haruka whispered while she wiped Michirus tears away. "I love you too." Michiru replied, smiling at her blonde lover. "And I need you so much, Haruka…don't you ever leave me." "I won't." Haruka promised, pulling her new fiancée into a hug. They stood like that for a long time._

The news spread through the palace very fast, and every one was happy that the king would marry soon. Although Ryo knew about the fact that Haruka and Michiru were both female, he didn't really care about it; he even helped Haruka to adopt Hotaru, making the little girl her legal daughter. He also helped in organizing the wedding, much to Harukas happiness – it meant that she had enough time for Michiru, and the two of them could simply relax and enjoy each others company. Right now, Haruka and Michiru laid on the huge couch of the living room, Michiru on top of Haruka. Michiru was talking about the wedding, still happy enough to bounce off the walls, while Haruka just listened to her, smiling. "You're so excited, love. Calm down." The king finally spoke up when Michirus talking became so fast that Haruka almost couldn't follow anymore. Michiru let out a little sigh and rested her head on Harukas chest, enjoying the feeling of the blondes hand stroking her hair. "Are you happy, Michiru?" Haruka whispered, causing Michiru to raise her head and look at her again. "Yes." The aqua haired woman replied in the same volume, "I'm very happy." Haruka smiled at her, and the two of them shared a short kiss. Suddenly, the door opened, and Ryo came strolling in. He spotted the two lovebirds lying on the couch and blushed. "Am I coming untimely?" he asked, and Michiru shook her head. "No, Ryo, don't worry." She calmed him down. "What do you need?" Haruka asked, grinning at her minister. "Oh, just a few little details concerning the wedding." Ryo replied while he took a seat in the big comfy chair that stood opposite to the couch. He quickly explained what he needed, waited until Haruka had signed the various orders for the event and then left again. "He's a good man." Haruka said as soon as he was gone. Michiru nodded, cuddling up to the king. "Although he blamed me for you being poisoned, I still like him." Haruka chuckled, and the couple kissed again. "Queen Michiru." The blonde then giggled, and Michiru showed her tongue to her. "Queen Michiru, King Haruka and Princess Hotaru." She then said, causing Haruka to chuckle again. "I hope you won't spoil Hotaru." Michiru then warned her lover. "Me? Never." Haruka replied, trying to look as innocent as possible. Michiru just smiled and kissed her lover again, and then the door opened once more and Hotaru poked her head in. "Hi Momma, hi Daddy!" she greeted. "Hi Hotaru." It came unison. The little girl jumped into the room and crawled on top of Michiru, causing Haruka to make a weird "Ooff" sound. "Am I hurting you, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked, sounding concerned. Haruka, who had got used to the weight fast, shook her head no. "Good." Hotaru stated, showing a very serious expression, "I wouldn't want my new Daddy to get hurt." Both Haruka and Michiru laughed at the girls remark, and Haruka felt happiness welling up inside her. The wedding day came nearer and nearer, and soon she would have a perfect little family. 


	17. Default Chapter

Michiru was pacing the room, very nervous. The maid who was supposed to dress her was dangerously near to a mental breakdown. "Please, Michiru, stop running around!" the young woman now begged. "How am I supposed to get you into your wedding dress when you pace around?" "Sorry." Michiru apologized and forced herself to stand still. The maid let out a happy sigh and started to close the dress.

Meanwhile, Haruka was running in circles, followed by an angered Ryo. "I won't use that stupid tie!" Haruka yelled at her minister, who was waving a dark blue tie while he followed his king. "You have to! The law says so." Ryo pointed out. He didn't convince Haruka. "The law also says that females can't marry females and that women can't be the ruler." The blonde shot back and jumped behind the couch, trying to avoid the minister. Finally Ryo caught her and quickly put the tie over her head. Haruka let out a little defeated sigh while Ryo adjusted the collar of the blonde's white shirt over the tie and stepped back. "Perfect, Your Highness." He chuckled. Haruka glared at him, grabbed her cloak and hung it over her shoulders. Ryo took the Uranian Crown and ordered: "Bend your head." Haruka did as she had been told, and Ryo carefully placed the heavy, golden and silver crown on her head. "Man, that thing is heavy." The king complained. "Is there a law that says how much the crown has to weigh?" The minister chuckled and shook his head. "Nope." Haruka just sighed and finished her dressing. 

The huge ballroom was filled with people. Much to Michirus happiness, Haruka had allowed the captured slaves from planet Neptune to attend the wedding; they all were dressed in new clothes from the clothes chamber, and most of them were happy that their princess would marry the king of Uranus soon. Some of them, however, didn't think that this was right; they thought that Michiru was a traitor for marrying the king who had conquered her planet. But they attended to the wedding anyway, probably because of the great food and the drinks that would be served. Everyone was anxious for the ceremony to start, and they all jumped when suddenly the Uranian trumpets were blown. The door at the far end of the room opened, and Michiru walked in, followed by two maids who carried the long veil which was attached to the aqua haired woman's head. Two hundred jaws met the floor when the guests of the wedding saw Michiru. Wearing a long, dark blue dress and carrying a bunch of Neptunian Roses – Haruka had sent one of her servants to get them for the wedding – she looked absolutely gorgeous. While Michiru gracefully walked over to the altar in the middle of the room, the door opened a second time, revealing the king standing in the doorway. All the female guests nearly fainted, and much of them envied Michiru for getting such a handsome young man. Hotaru stood in the first row, pointing and explaining: "That's my dad! Yes, _my dad!" "Awww, isn't she cute?" one of the older uranian women cooed and stretched out one hand to ruffle Hotarus hair. The girl shrieked and jumped away. "Don't touch my hair! The hairdresser made it very beautiful for today!" she yelped, causing the women to awww and oooh even more. Michiru stood at the altar, her heart racing in her chest. She heard Harukas footsteps coming closer, but didn't dare to look around; according to an ancient Neptunian legend, it was bad luck for the couple if the bride turned her back on the altar. Finally, Haruka reached her side and shot her a sideway glance, smiling a little. The priest stepped up to the altar and the ceremony started._

"...and will you, King Haruka Tenoh III, take Princess Michiru Kaioh II to your wife, will honor and love her, in good and in bad times, until death will part you?" "I will." Haruka replied, her voice hoarse with emotion. "So will you, Princess Michiru Kaioh II, take King Haruka Tenoh II to your legal husband, will honor and love him, in good and in bad times, until death will part you?" "I will." Michiru answered, near tears. The priest smiled and spoke: "The rings, please." Ryo stepped forward, handing one ring to Haruka and the other one to Michiru. Michiru was the first one; she gently slid the slender golden band on Harukas finger, smiling up at her love while she did so. Haruka gently took her hand and repeated the procedure. "You now may kiss the bride." The priest allowed, and Haruka lifted the veil. For one second, they just looked into each others eyes, and then Haruka bent down to kiss her new wife long and gentle. _"Finally." The blonde thought to herself. __"Finally, I'm having a family." _

THE END!!!


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